As district identification of students protected by the McKinney-Vento Act grows, EverDriven opens up educational access through flexible transportation to students’ schools of origin

DENVER, Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — EverDriven, the leader in Modern Student Transportation, now serves nearly three times as many students experiencing housing instability this year as it did in 2020. The new data reflects an increase in districts’ ability to identify students facing homelessness, along with a rise in district demand for rides that keep these students in their schools of origin.

The pace has carried into the current school year. In the most recent quarter, which ran from July 1 through September 30, 2026, EverDriven served more students experiencing housing instability than it did during the whole of 2020.

The growth mirrors an increase in early identification of students facing housing instability, along with awareness of their needs. Public schools identified 1,374,537 students who experienced homelessness during the 2022-23 school year, or 2.8% of all public school students, according to the National Center for Homeless Education. In response to growing need, EverDriven has enhanced its collaboration with McKinney-Vento liaisons and transportation departments to identify students facing homelessness and connect them with transportation to their school of origin. When a family’s address changes with little notice, a transportation team may have a day or two to build a new route.

“When a family loses access to housing, school is often the one part of a child’s day that stays the same,” said Courtney Pallotta, Chief Marketing Officer at EverDriven. “District teams work incredibly hard to protect that stability, and our job is to enable them to maintain access to transportation without disruption. As needs keep growing, we are ready to quickly activate transportation for the districts we serve.”

EverDriven’s research shows the value of consistency. In a national study of 812 caregivers, teachers, and district administrators, 76% of caregivers said reliable transportation makes their child more successful in school. One caregiver described how, working with her McKinney-Vento liaison and EverDriven, her daughter was able to stay at her school of origin and keep her place in the National Honor Society after her family was displaced.

The same research points to how much room districts have to extend that benefit. Sixty-six percent of administrators said transportation issues have affected their McKinney-Vento or foster care obligations, and only 13% said all qualifying students currently have transportation arranged.

EverDriven has expanded its capacity to serve this population over several years through:

• Flexible routing. Small-capacity vehicles allow routes to be adjusted quickly when a student moves, including across district lines.
• Prepared drivers. Drivers servicing EverDriven trips complete comprehensive education focused on a calm, consistent, and safe ride.
• Reliability. According to EverDriven’s Safety and Operations Report, 90.36% of trips arrived within five minutes of scheduled drop-off.
• Visibility. District teams manage trips in TripCentral, while caregivers and authorized school staff follow each ride in RideAware.

Since 2015, EverDriven has transported more than 47,000 students experiencing homelessness, in partnership with districts across 38 states — delivering upon its mission of opening doors to a brighter future for every student, one ride at a time.

About EverDriven

EverDriven delivers modern student-centered transportation that’s safe, consistent, and built for those who need it most. EverDriven specializes in routing and transporting students with a range of needs, from everyday support to the most complex circumstances, including students with disabilities, students experiencing housing instability, and other students with additional needs. Serving more than 800 districts across 38 states, the company completed more than 2.1 million successful trips in the 2025–26 school year. EverDriven’s deeply human, fully compliant, and AI-powered approach helps districts get students on the road in hours, not days, while maintaining consistent, high-trust rides that complement traditional yellow bus fleets. For more information, visit everdriven.com.

Media Contact
Erica Orthmann, pr@everdriven.com

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SOURCE EverDriven